Meet Juan Alanis: Entrepreneur & Chief Content Officer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juan Alanis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Juan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk has always been a presence in my life. It took me a long time to understand that some risk is inevitable, born out of necessity, like the choices our family had to make to get by as we were growing up. While other risks are necessary, and to some degree planned. For instance, the choices we have made to propel our businesses forward. We were taking a leap of faith in many instances, but we were not doing so blindly. The more experience we gained, the more prepared we were for the next risky situation. I think when you know what it is to do without you are not as afraid to return to that place even if you have been removed from it for some time. You don’t want to go there, but if you do, you are not afraid of being able to figure things out again. Or I guess to start from scratch all over again.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am co-founder of the digital marketing and public relations firm Big Oak Tree Media, and owner of the creative digital agency Market Street Consulting. Through both of these businesses we are able to work with clients directly to support their overall communications needs, and in some instances to drive the brand and strategy that define who they are and how they show up in the world. Clients find that we are really good at tackling major brand/strategy overhauls, as well as defining successful external messaging executions – particularly in media relations and digital media. I am most excited about our new content creation division which allows us to produce original, owned content that clients can leverage at their discretion to connect with their various audiences. We now have a podcast production studio that can also be outfitted for livestream real-time or pre-recorded content. This is quite an exciting new addition to our roster of services and we are finding that it is allowing clients to create authentic connections that are completely self-sufficient!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We actually do this quite often in the influencer space where we build custom itineraries for visitors to experience Houston for the first time or in a brand new way. Some of our favorite spots include Houston’s Chinatown, the Harwin shopping district, Uptown Galleria, Memorial Park and Hermann Park, the East End, and our surrounding areas like Seabrook, Richmond, Pearland, and Brookshire. Xochi is one of our favorite downtown eateries, especially for brunch, as well as more homey spots like Lucilles and Irma’s. You really can’t go wrong with Houston’s food scene. The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Since launching my first business there have been a lot of individuals who have been open and willing to provide their counsel, to share their experiences, and to say the things that sometimes can be hard to receive. One person in particular who has been a great mentor to me is Jeri Brooks of One World Strategy Group, LLC. Not only has she been a great sounding board over the years, she has become someone who I consider a friend.

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juanalanis/

Other: I do also co-host a weekly podcast at: https://www.juanofwords.com/